Welcome to the Official NeoGAF Electronic Dance Music thread! This is where you can discuss all things EDM, from the music to the artists to the festivals. All are welcome, from battle-hardened rave veterans to complete newcomers to the electronic music scene. Make yourselves comfortable and let's jump right in!

What is EDM?

Electronic dance music (generally referred to simply as “EDM”) is exactly what it sounds like: electronic music produced with the primary intention of making you dance. You will generally hear this music at clubs, concerts, or music festivals as part of a continuous DJ set. EDM has been exploding in popularity over the past few years as the music has started to enter the mainstream, and large music festivals such as Ultra Music Festival, Electric Daisy Carnival, and Tomorrowland draw hundreds of thousands of EDM fans each year.

I’m interested in getting into EDM, where do I start?

First of all welcome to the fold! EDM encompasses a wide range of music genres, but the five most popular styles of EDM are House, Trance, Techno, Dubstep, and Drum and Bass. Do keep in mind though that these styles are very fluid, and it is not uncommon to see a trance artist incorporate house elements, or a house artist incorporate dubstep elements into his music. These genre headings are at best a (very) general umbrella under which you will find many artists with their own flavor. It is difficult to describe the genres since the music can vary so wildly even within each genre, so I am instead going to list a bunch of artists under each style. By listening to music from these artists you should be able to get a better feel for what the various sub-genres of EDM sound like.

There are many resources online to keep track of the goings on in the EDM world, including some great blogs and online magazines that are updated daily with news, music releases, and performance announcements. Some of the better ones:

Dancing Astronaut - A good overall EDM blog that posts multiple new songs every day, along with miscellaneous news and the occasional interview or feature. They also have their own podcast.

Resident Advisor - Another good resource, this is an online magazine that covers a wide variety of genres and has its own video features and podcasts. Keep in mind that RA does not cover mainstream EDM to the same extent as some of the other outlets on this list. Go here if you would like to explore something different and below the radar.

I Can Give You House - EDM blog that covers new song and EP releases. It has a nice aesthetic to the way it presents news that makes it easy to sort through their posts.

SoundGrail - Started out as an electro and dubstep blog, but has now branched out to cover all types of EDM. Solid blog with weekly recaps of music releases and event coverage.

I'm glad you asked! Some artists release weekly or monthly podcasts that feature both their music as well as new releases by other artists. This is a good way to keep up to date with the latest music, since you can pick an artist whose music you like and then listen to a selection of music s/he is enjoying. Here are some of the more popular ones:

The great thing about EDM is that once the summer rolls around all sorts of music festivals start setting up and bringing in great DJs to perform. These festivals can range from one day only to the epic three-day festivals you have probably heard so much about. Most of these festivals will have "early bird" sales where they will release a limited number of tickets for around 50% off, and this is usually the most effective way to buy your ticket. However you will have to keep a close eye on the dates tickets go on sale since EDM fans have been known to sell out events within minutes. Some notable festivals include:

The largest North American electronic music festival, EDC takes place in Las Vegas (with smaller events in New York, Chicago, Dallas, Orlando, and San Juan) and brings together massive crowds of EDM fans. EDC's specialty is its erection of surreal neon structures and theme park rides, as well as its use of performers dressed up in outlandish costumes.

Quite possibly the most talked about EDM festival, Ultra takes place in Miami every year (with smaller offshoots in Ibiza, Buenos Aires, Sao Paolo, Santiago, Seoul, and Croatia) and generally kicks off the festival season in North America. UMF happens over two weekends, which bookend what is known as Miami Music Week. If you do not intend to go to the festival, then you can still see most of your favorite artists perform at clubs and venues around the city of Miami during this week.

The largest EDM festival in the world, with arguably the flashiest and most impressive set designs. This event takes place in Belgium every year and draws massive global crowds. Its stages generally involve fantastical creatures and imagery, with the theme of the festival being that of a living, breathing fairy tale. It has announced its first North American event, Tomorrowworld, to be held in 2013.

Other resources

You are more than welcome to discuss all kinds of EDM here, but in case you are looking for a more focused experience, there are a few other GAF threads that could be of interest to you depending on your musical tastes:

I follow him on facebook and he posted a long thing about it, i will post it.

Wow looks like I stirred up some controversy with my set friday night at UMF. Seeing alot of people who dont understand. My full set wasn't being streamed, only the last 40ish minutes with all new material from my album.

In a 75 minute set, I brought a 15 minute different breakdown with live musicians to a festival with nonstop dance music for 3 days straight 2 weeks in a row . I really wanted to switch things up and do something fun and different, as I always strive for, and this album is about experimentation and about showing the endless possibilities of house and electronic music. Its about how to incorporate acoustic instruments from different styles and influences you wouldnt expect and still stay true to your own sound and musicality which for me has always been about the melodies and positive energy. I will always produce music that I love and listen to. But my album is certainly not "country", and people have gotten hung up on an instrument we used for the live cover of a song. Every song on the album is a fusion with house and electronic music.

We wanted to make a statement, and theres really no better place to make one than UMF mainstage. People will soon see what it's all about.

My music is open to anyone who wants to listen to it and I will always stay true to my sound. Love you all who listen with open hearts and open minds. These past few months Ive been so lucky to have had the chance to work with so many talented artists and to bring them there when I launch the album was amazing and they all did an amazing job.

This was my first time performing with a band and I couldnt have asked for more a professional team, I really want to thank @MichaelEinziger and his fiancee, @vatoben and @JoseAPasillasII from Incubus, @Aloeblacc, legend @Mac Davis, @audramae and @dantyminskii for joining me on stage.

Those festivals sound fucking awesome. I wonder if there are any big ones in the great state of California.

EDC Vegas is the big one that most LA ravers go to every year. I'm sure there's a bunch of stuff in Cali too but I'm not too familiar with it. I know Coachella has added an electronic stage that tends to pull some pretty big names.

I'm a massive fan of trance, progressive and downtempo, but I can't stand dubstep. EDM is so wide these days.

Indeed. I also really dig deadmau, Justice and SHM. Also, I'd be damned if I could tell some of these subgenres apart, but then I don't claim to be even remotely close to an expert when it comes to EDM.

you can't throw a rock and not hit an insomiac or HARD event in the socal area.

also, since the OP is so heavily trance/western prog house leaning, allow me to add two sources of alternatives:

hospital radio/podcast - hospital records is a UK-based DNB label with artists like High Contrast, Netsky, Nu:Tone, and many other liquid/soul dnb artists. many people find liquid dnb to be more palpatable than most other genres of drum and bass given it's predilection for female vocals and soulful, groovy rhythms.

tokyo bliss - podcast heavily featuring otographic label artists. otographic is a Japanese prog house label. their music and the music they play is a little more jazzy/soulful than european or U.S. prog house artists.

Indeed. I also really dig deadmau, Justice and SHM. Also, I'd be damned if I could tell some of these subgenres apart, but then I don't claim to be even remotely close to an expert when it comes to EDM.

All the groups you've listed so far have been electro-house, with the exception of Daft Punk.

Went to EDC last year in Vegas and my jaw literally hit the floor when I first walked in that big ass speed way with all the stages setup. Suuch a good vibe from the type of people that attended and well worth it for me overall. I danced my ass off literally the entire three two and a half days! Met so many awesome people as well who weren't afraid to let go and just go with the flow. It kinda felt magical at the moment, seriously. Also around 100,000 people and I did not see ONE fight break out...I was pleasantly shocked but definitely understandable since most people were on E and less alcohol was consumed. Really worth it if you thinking about going.

I would also love to attend Tomorrowland someday. Also these festivals led me to learn about Burning Man as well which I'll definitely be attending at least once in my lifetime.

If you dig a particular artist, initially listening to artists in that specific genre works, but usually with some artists, the label the artist is on will most likely have similar or identical acts on their roster, like an umbrella.

For example, listening to a band like Justice, they have a pretty aggressive sound: Hard synths, basslines, etc.

Their label, Ed Banger Records, features guys with similar sounds like Sebastian, Mr. Oizo, or even Kavinsky.

I'm going to see A State of Trance 600 NYC this Saturday so I'm trying to get as much trance into my system as possible.

Originally Posted by Kccitystar

On discovering new EDM music:

If you dig a particular artist, initially listening to artists in that specific genre works, but usually with some artists, the label the artist is on will most likely have similar or identical acts on their roster, like an umbrella.

For example, listening to a band like Justice, they have a pretty aggressive sound: Hard synths, basslines, etc.

Their label, Ed Banger Records, features guys with similar sounds like Sebastian, Mr. Oizo, or even Kavinsky.

Wow, had no idea those other festivals existed. I thought Ultra was the biggest.

Also, BT is my favorite DJ ever. I've met him after a set in South Beach and saw him at Ultra 2k5(I think), one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. Very friendly and always willing to recommend stuff to aspiring electronic musicians.

And boy do I agree with the #1 track of Ultra. Bingo Players made that track SING.

I'm a big fan of the epic/main-room/melodic/whatever side of trance (Armin van Buuren, Above & Beyond, etc.), but let's not neglect the more progressive and psychedelic sides of the genre. That's the type of stuff that really does it for me. Here's a brilliant example of what I'm talking about, from one of my absolute top DJs. This mix is legendary:

If you like that set, I highly recommend you get ahold of episode 74 of JOOF's podcast, Global Trance Grooves, from June 2009. It's a two hour set from himself and the Digital Blonde (another amazing trance producer), and it's a MONSTER! I actually like it more than his Essential Mix. Couldn't find a decent link to a stream or download, but you can d/l it from iTunes.